Let Me Fall
by The Rose Society
Summary: AR When two wills battle against each other, only one can prevail...


*Disclaimer: All characters are the property of Naoko Takeuchi  
  
and a myriad of other associates.   
  
Let Me Fall  
  
Chapter 1  
  
By: The Rose Society  
  
Rating: R  
  
Email: EtrlSlrMn@aol.com  
  
http://www.wishing-blue.net/kii/   
  
The sky had just completed the transition from twilight  
  
to evening, the bleeding crimson hues already gone, leaving  
  
only a faded violet. As the cool air flowed into the city of  
  
Tokyo, people wandered about the lively city. Neon signs  
  
painted a riot of colors across flesh-colored faces, rendering  
  
the human figures into madly painted puppets, spinning around  
  
jerkily on their strings. There was a tragic beauty in the  
  
scene, these people moving about, sensing nothing about their  
  
impending doom, like ants, right before a petulant child shakes  
  
the ant farm.  
  
None of this registered in Mamoru's mind as he exited  
  
his apartment building, shoving some of the mindless puppets  
  
aside. All he knew, all he felt, was that he was in a race with  
  
time. He had to reach her, before...  
  
***  
  
With the cover of darkness, Eternal Sailor Moon  
  
surveyed the battle scene with her piercing azure gaze. Against  
  
the shadow creature, a creature that Chaos had created from cast  
  
off atoms in the universe, the senshi's powers were making some  
  
headway. Compared to the other creatures they had faced, this  
  
particular shadow creature was much stronger than any of them,  
  
but it was nothing that they couldn't handle together. Moon  
  
watched with a wistful bitterness; she never wanted to see the  
  
senshi called to duty once more, but there was nothing she could  
  
do about it. She watched as her comrades, unchanged by the  
  
passing millenniums, wielded their powers with an ease that was  
  
never present in the peaceful Silver Millennium era. The earth  
  
beneath her feet trembled as Uranus' World Shaking flew by, to  
  
try to knock the creature off its feet from below, as the  
  
combined water forces of Mercury and Neptune slammed into the  
  
creature from above. Despite the long separation, the senshi  
  
were working as a team, seemingly knowing where the others would  
  
be without verbal communication. A faint and bitter smile  
  
touched Sailor Moon's lips; she could feel he approaching, the  
  
desperation in his heart felt almost her own. Even though he  
  
broke her spell, she knew that he wouldn't make it in time. After  
  
all, time had always been their enemy...  
  
"NOW," Moon screamed, her staff pointed dangerously  
  
at the shadow creature as she jumped into the melee.  
  
***  
  
Drawing upon his rarely used connection with the Earth,  
  
Chiba Mamoru, formerly Prince Endymion of Earth, tried to teleport,  
  
a skill he had never properly learned. As raw golden power  
  
enveloped him, even as he continued to run in the darkness of night,  
  
he willed with all the power of his mind. In an explosion of light, the  
  
golden power dispersed from his body like the shower of a sparkler,  
  
but Mamoru found himself still in Tokyo. Barely acknowledging his  
  
failed attempt, he rallied his power once again; it had to work, he had  
  
to MAKE it work. Or else, all was lost.  
  
His chest heaving, lungs burning with the lack of air,  
  
Mamoru pulled his power to his body once more. He knew not how  
  
many times he had already tried to teleport, but he knew he would  
  
keep going until he succeeded or he died. Gathering all his will, he  
  
threw behind it all his emotions, the fear and terror that clawed at his  
  
stomach, the pain and loneliness of the last few years, and the lost  
  
love that even now, beckoned him to the skies. "USAGI!" Mamoru  
  
screamed, right before the Earth trembled and bowed to the will of its  
  
master, and sent Mamoru hurtling towards the moon.  
  
When he landed on his feet with a thud, he looked around  
  
for a moment, disoriented. The gray barren landscape he had  
  
expected was not there; instead, the moon seemed like a pre-modern  
  
version of Earth. A lush green expanse lay underneath his feet, and he  
  
could see trees and flowers were plentiful. But after the initial shock, he  
  
ignored all the beauty of new life before him and tried to figure out  
  
where SHE would be. As his cerulean eyes scanned the distance, the  
  
sudden sound of explosions, from senshi's use of their powers, made  
  
itself known. Without a thought, he began taking off towards the sounds  
  
and lights, praying that he would make it in time. The meadow that he  
  
landed in soon gave way to forest, within which, he felt, was the battle.  
  
Not bothering to slow down, healthy young branches covered in  
  
leaves began slapping his face as he shoved his way through. Over  
  
a fallen log, he jumped, after which he ducked the low hanging branch  
  
of another tree. Using his instincts, he dodged obstacle after obstacle,  
  
his body taut with tension. Would he be in time?  
  
***  
  
Sailor Moon frowned. Curse the man, he was nearing before  
  
her task was done. Even as the power transfer with the senshi continued,  
  
she looked into the eyes of Uranus and Neptune, her two most trusted  
  
lieutenants, of sorts. Even though all her senshi were near and dear to  
  
her, Sailor Moon knew that Uranus and Neptune were the best to handle  
  
the task she had assigned. When they both turned their gazes to hers,  
  
Sailor Moon imperceptibly nodded. Understanding dawned in their  
  
eyes and they nodded in acknowledgement. Relief flowed into her mind  
  
even as power slowly transformed her body. Everything was now seen  
  
to. All that was left was the finale.  
  
***  
  
In an incredible explosion of power, rays of color shot from  
  
the nexus of the forest. Even though Mamoru could feel the power rush  
  
through him and see the light passing by, not a single leaf or branch was  
  
disturbed by the awesome phenomenon; only pure power could be felt  
  
by those in tune with it. Something had changed. He couldn't explain it,  
  
but he FELT it. His heart cried out even as he increased his pace in the  
  
unknown territory. As he neared the radiant white light amongst the  
  
trees, he could make out the faint outline of the person he sought most:  
  
Eternal Sailor Moon.  
  
Amazing, what a mind could register in the space of a  
  
moment. What occurred in the objective measurement of a  
  
nanosecond, the mind could break down into an eternity of memory.  
  
Even as he neared, not thirty feet away from Sailor Moon, he felt two  
  
pairs of arms gripped his own. Like steel, there was no give in the  
  
grasps that held him. His eyes never leaving the sight of the beatific  
  
sight before him, his feet struggled without conscious thought from his  
  
mind, kicking wildly in order to get himself free. But it was to no avail. As  
  
he twisted furiously within the grasp of Neptune and Uranus, he could  
  
see that Eternal Sailor Moon's senshi uniform was not the same. She  
  
was garbed in angelic white from head to toe, with set of transparent  
  
gossamer wings on her back. Her staff had changed to a simpler  
  
design, with a crystal star at the crown. Even as he struggled, he could  
  
hear Saturn's whispered, "Sailor Cosmos," her voice filled with awe.  
  
The woman he sought continued to stand in that brilliant white nexus,  
  
her now silver hair floating softly on waves of power. Her slim hand  
  
was wrapped about her staff, the crystal ornament pulsating in beat  
  
with her heartbeat. Her eyes were closed, their expressive sapphire  
  
color hidden from him.  
  
Mamoru's eyes never left Cosmos' face, even as he  
  
continued to struggle, all the while yelling obscenities at Uranus and  
  
Neptune, who continued to keep him prisoner. In the now timeless  
  
environment, he saw Cosmos' eyes opening, slowly, quickly, he knew  
  
not. All he knew that there was an abyss between them, a gap he had  
  
to bridge in the next few moments, or all would be lost. But when  
  
Cosmos turned her gaze upon him, his mind froze. The azure he had  
  
become so enchanted with had changed. Darkened to an indigo, they  
  
held no expression, no glimpse of the soul behind them. 'What  
  
happened to you?' he thought.  
  
'I am Serenity. I am Cosmos. I am Power.' Her voice echoed  
  
throughout the area, even though her lips did not move. The Inner  
  
senshi stared at their soulless princess in horror, even as Uranus and  
  
Neptune continued to hold Mamoru back.  
  
A roar of triumph echoed throughout the battlegrounds, as  
  
the shadowy, menacing form of Chaos, which Mamoru had not noticed  
  
until now, engulfed Cosmos.   
  
Instantly, the white light disappeared, leaving eight senshi  
  
and one man in the darkness of the Moon forest. Shouts of dismay  
  
filled the forest as the senshi moved to defend their princess from  
  
Chaos. But before they could take a step, the darkness disappeared,  
  
again revealing the dazzling light that emanated from Cosmos.  
  
As the form before open her mouth to speak, dread began  
  
to prickle down Mamoru¡¦s spine. "FOOLS! Chaos will prevail. I now  
  
have control of the most powerful body in the--" spoke the  
  
Cosmos-like figure. However, breaking through the now monstrous  
  
voice emanating from the figure were the soft tones of Cosmos.  
  
'NOW!' came the non-physical command.  
  
As he felt his mouth opening to scream her name, he felt  
  
time screaming to halt around him. Some of the inner senshi were  
  
looking at Pluto, to see if she had done something, but she shook her  
  
head and continued to gaze at Cosmos in silent contemplation. Her  
  
white gloved hand gripped her Time Staff tightly, flexing and relaxing.  
  
She might have given the command, but the power for the Time Stop  
  
had been from Cosmos, or, more accurately, Chaos' body.  
  
Cosmos' red pupils flared in anger. She began to struggle  
  
against the sudden stopping of time, black power whirling about the  
  
white body in an attempt to break one of the greatest and most taboo  
  
powers of the descendants of Pluto. Slowly, in the corner of his vision,  
  
Mamoru could see Saturn running towards Cosmos, her glaive held in  
  
front of her, in the manner of a spear. Even as realization dawned on  
  
Mamoru, the beautiful silvery glaive went deep into the sphere of the  
  
Time Stop and buried itself into the pristine white midsection of Cosmos.  
  
In a instant, a warm crimson spray flew across the field, spots appearing  
  
on the faces of the bystanders, including Mamoru. With a sideways  
  
motion, Saturn rent her glaive loose, causing another scarlet fountain to  
  
erupt and pour, and she fell back, beyond the circle of the Time Stop.  
  
Letting loose an incredible roar of rage and pain, Chaos'  
  
power grew darker still and whirled even more rapidly around her form.  
  
Slowly, the garnet limits of the Time Stop blinked, their power trying  
  
desperately to keep Chaos within its grasp. But it was clear that they  
  
were going to break at any moment and Chaos was still very much alive.  
  
'It is time for the end, Chaos,' came the faint ethereal tones of  
  
Cosmos, over the roar the winds of Power and bellows of Chaos.  
  
Cosmos' power flared, the bright light increasing in intensity, so that even  
  
the senshi and Mamoru had to shield their eyes. In an overwhelming  
  
explosion of noise and light, not unlike an atomic neutron bomb, but  
  
infinitely more powerful, the power of Cosmos, a power that was  
  
unimaginable, slowly illuminated the darkness of Chaos, consuming it. In  
  
an eternity, or a heartbeat, the light disappeared.  
  
As Mamoru blinked without sight, the light having seared a  
  
multi-colored memory into his retinas, he could hear the voice of the  
  
senshi, yelling in confusion. Panic filled him as the confining hands  
  
dropped away. He could feel blood rushing back forcefully into his arms,  
  
their usual flow dammed up by the grips of the two senshi. Blindly, he fell to  
  
his hands and knees and began patting the forest floor before him, moving  
  
in the general direction of where he last saw Usagi. His eyes were trying  
  
to adapt to the sudden dim lighting from the far-off sun broke through the  
  
tops of the Moon trees. Bit by bit, the forest floor was revealed to him.  
  
When his hands made contact with a solid and warm mass, he scooped  
  
the body into his lap, his eyes roving over the form he could feel, but not  
  
yet see. His hands traveled from face to arms, his mind unbelieving that  
  
she was finally in his arms. And safe, she was finally safe. And he was  
  
finally with her, where he belonged. His heart sang with joy, as his mouth  
  
mumbled endearments against her forehead. The warmth of her skin  
  
comforted him. He would no doubt soon look into her beautiful jewel-like  
  
eyes and feel the softness of her cheek against the roughness of his own.  
  
"It's over, you won." Mamoru continued his litany. Shade by  
  
shade, his eyes recovered their sight. The sight that greeted him made  
  
him want to remain blinded: the body of Usagi in his lap, still and lifeless.  
  
From the depths of his soul, his tormented scream rang throughout the  
  
small satellite, the agony and sorrow forever ringing in the ears of the  
  
only eight witnesses.  
  
Author Notes:  
  
This is a preliminary version of the chapter, subject to change.  
  
Just wanted to see if anyone would be interested in reading it.  
  
Until next time...  
  
~The moonlight carries the message of love.~  
  
~Tsuki no hikari wa ai no message.~ 


End file.
